Meaning & use
aeroplane
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountableBritish
A powered vehicle with fixed wings that flies through the air carrying people or goods.
Grammar: A countable noun: an aeroplane, two aeroplanes. American English uses airplane.
Patterns
- board an aeroplane
- travel by aeroplane
The aeroplane took off ten minutes late.
She had never been on an aeroplane before.
A toy aeroplane hung from the ceiling.
nouncountable
A small model of such a vehicle, as played with by children.
Grammar: Often used in a child's context: a paper aeroplane.
Patterns
- a paper aeroplane
- a model aeroplane
The boy launched a paper aeroplane across the room.
They built a model aeroplane from balsa wood.
She made an aeroplane out of folded card.
Word forms
| plural | aeroplanes |
|---|
Common combinations
- paper aeroplane
- He threw a paper aeroplane at his friend.
- model aeroplane
- They flew a model aeroplane in the park.
- by aeroplane
- We traveled by aeroplane to Edinburgh.
- aeroplane seat
- The aeroplane seat was surprisingly comfortable.
- aeroplane mode
- Put your phone in aeroplane mode.
Synonyms and how they differ
- airplane
- Airplane is the American spelling and the standard word in the United States.
- plane
- Plane is the short, everyday form used in both British and American English.
- aircraft
- Aircraft is wider and includes helicopters and gliders, as well as aeroplanes.
- jet
- Jet means a plane with jet engines, so it is narrower than aeroplane.
Word family
- aeronautics noun
- the science of flight
- aerodrome noun
- a small airfield, mainly British
- aero adjective
- relating to air or aircraft, used in compounds
- aerial adjective
- happening in or from the air
Commonly confused: aeroplane or airplane? aeroplane or aerospace?
aeroplane vs airplane
Airplane is the American spelling of aeroplane; the meaning is the same.
aeroplane vs aerospace
Aerospace covers the industry of air and space flight, not an individual vehicle.
Practice
In British English, which word is the traditional spelling for a powered, fixed-wing flying vehicle?
Choose one answer.
Aeroplane is the traditional British spelling. Airplane is the American form, so it is the tempting but wrong choice for British writing.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “aeroplane”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.